It’s very easy in the run-up to Christmas to get bogged down with the stresses and problems of your life. A lot of us get Seasonal depression, without us even realising what it is or why, when the nights begin to draw in, we suddenly get overly touchy or grumpy or nothing seems to make us happy. And it’s not just the Christmas period, of course. This is supposed to be the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, when actually, considering you have to fit in all that extra work you’re not going to be able to do over the holiday, get presents that may or may not go down well for people you love and manage your time between parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren, aunts and friends who have become part of the family – it’s actually one of the most stressful times of the year, with the commercialisation of the entire thing, telling us what we need to do in order to be a functioning member of society who conducts their Mid-Winter in the proper manner, we must do this, that, the other, buy this, wear that… The list goes on.

But never mind about Christmas for the moment. Stress is one of those things that can happen at any time of the year but, if you’re experiencing it right now, maybe just from the normal sources, or maybe it’s been a weird few months, here’s what I want you to remember:

You are amazing. You have every right to think of yourself as that. The fact that you are amazing is not affected by how much you weigh, about how comfortable you are in social situations, or how many things you ticked off that ever-growing To Do List yesterday. You are still amazing!

Who in this world is like you? Who does what you do, the way you do? Who else has coped with all life has thrown your way, and become you?

We are taught that feeling proud of ourselves is something that should be done in private, not displayed for the world to see, because that will make us seem arrogant. But we have every right to be pleased with who we are and what we’ve accomplished and the decisions we have taken in our lives. We deserve our own self-esteem. And every person who you may meet or know, who will try to rein you in or pick apart your life and mistakes, may well be battling with their own. Your journey to being happy with yourself is your own.

You are amazing. You are alive, and you have so much. If you are reading this, feel gratitude at the fact that you are more privileged than so many people across the world, without computers, the internet or even the ability to read. You’ve been so blessed and you might not even know it.

And today is an amazing day. Today is a day your are alive and can do things, make big decisions, re-evaluate things, or just give the person you love a kiss, tell somebody else how proud of them you are, share an unexpectedly memorable moment with a friend or even a stranger. Today is finite, but it has endless possibilities. And you will get the same gift tomorrow. Better than Christmas!

You are amazing. We all strive for perfection, to be accepted and popular, even in a small, intimate circle and you have it better than many people do. We can all bitch and moan about our problems, but we would do it so much more if our situations were changed. If we suddenly didn’t have the things we’ve been privileged to, things that we see as ‘ours’, things we’ve taken for granted…

You are amazing, as are your fellow human beings, capable of the smallest yet most significant gestures of kindness. Yesterday, just after a woman selling the Big Issue had been racially abused by a man in the street, and a woman came to her rescue and spoke out for her until the man went away, a small crowd formed around her, and a little boy came forward to the Romanian woman selling the Big Issue and put his scarf around her neck as a Christmas present. I was once sitting with my model friend in an eatery and it was easy to feel ugly in comparison to her, and sigh over my homely looks, but a complete stranger said to me: ‘I couldn’t help overhearing, and I think you should know, you’re a very beautiful woman.’ He had no agenda, and I never saw him again. And every now and again, my heart is warmed by how people help each other through the vast metropolis of London, showing sight-seers and newcomers who look a little lost where to go, for no reason other than to help out somebody whose position they were once in…

Life is amazing, just like you. It may take you a long time to come to terms with that, because of how we are conditioned since childhood. But one day, you will hopefully realise that your pay grade, how many friends you have on Facebook, and how many things you get done in a day are actually nothing to do with what makes you and your life amazing. Little things that give you a rush inside are far more important, like clicking with somebody straight off, even though you’ve only just met, that seems to get you. Or figuring out, at whatever age you are, what your real purpose in life might be. Or just having a beautiful moment, that is particular to just you – because you’re allowed those.

And here’s the BIG thing: it’s okay to not feel amazing every day. It’s alright to have a day or two where you don’t answer your phone to anyone, or you leave your house a worse mess than you should, or, even, you’re a bit brisk with people you adore and who make your life better, because you may be amazing, but you’re also human. Don’t beat yourself up about that. Get back on track and figure out what makes you the wonderful, beautiful, complex You that you really are and can be.  Because you’ve never messed it up completely.  That mode of thinking is all about perspective.  Just get back up again and start peddling.

You are amazing.

Have an amazing day, and Merry Christmas xxx